NOAA - Southern Resident Killer Whales and Snake River Dams 2016 Fact Sheet
Southern Resident killer whales are a distinct population of killer whales that eat primarily salmon and spend much of the summer months in the inland waters of the Salish Sea. NOAA Fisheries listed Southern Residents as endangered in 2005, and in 2015 named the whales as one of eight “Species in the Spotlight” that warrant intensive, focused efforts to help them recover. A 2014 NOAA Fisheries report summarized the first decade of conservation and research since the population was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and identified three primary threats to the Southern Resident population:
• Availability of prey, especially salmon
• Pollution and chemical contaminants
• Vessel traffic and noise
NOAA Fisheries has focused research on each of the three concerns to understand their impacts, and how best to address them and promote recovery of the Southern Residents. This fact sheet addresses the current understanding of the first of these concerns – availability of prey—especially the extent to which Southern Residents rely on salmon from the Columbia and Snake River systems. Several native salmon and steelhead stocks on the Columbia and Snake are listed as threatened and endangered, and wide-scale efforts are underway across the two basins to protect and restore them. See the full NOAA - Southern Resident Killer Whales and Snake River Dams 2016 Fact Sheet